Uthai Thani - The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has launched an "incentive" package for local communities living around two World Heritage sites to help protect tigers.
The aim is for the communities around Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary help protect wildlife under a new scheme to increase the tiger population in the western forest complex.
The department kicked off the incentive package which is part of a five-year scheme called "Strengthening the Capacity and Incentive for Wildlife Conservation in the Western Forest Complex" to mark Tiger Day on Friday.
The programme, which is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), will run from 2016-2020.
Thanya Nethithammakul, head of the department, said that GEF has distributed US$7.4 million (240 million baht) to facilitate the scheme, which was developed to improve better technology for a smart forest patrol system and to strengthen cooperation among all stakeholders to protect and preserve wildlife and biodiversity in wildlife sanctuary sites, especially cooperation from locals to stop both forest encroachment and illegal poaching activities.
Mr Thanya said he was confident that the country could reach the international commitment on the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) to double the tiger population in the country by 2020 as a result of strong cooperation from all stakeholders.
Tuanjai Noochdamrong, head of the Wildlife Conservation Office, which is under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the office has yet to decide how to manage the fund, parts of which will be allocated to 39 communities living around the two World Heritage sites as an incentive to gain their cooperation to protect and preserve tigers and their natural habitats, which will help in increasing their numbers.
Ms Tuanjai said the department will also introduce a "Pay for Wildlife" programme, where any wildlife-breeding business can provide money to help the department promote more effective measures to support wildlife protection and preservation.
Luc Stevens, UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP's Resident Representative, said the programme will not only protect and preserve the tiger population and their habitat, but also assist local communities as they will benefit from eco-tourism activities.
To reach this point, it is very important to educate and let them know why it is significant to have their cooperation on wildlife protection and preservation, he said.
Mr Stevens said that further research and a monitoring system will be established to collect more information about tigers in the Western Forest Complex, which is the world's last remaining habitat for Indochinese tigers.
"Thailand has an outstanding performance on tiger protection and conservation, and its experience can be shared with neighbouring countries as tigers are not only a domestic issue, but already a cross-border concern. We hope to see the country succeed in increasing the tiger population," he said.
Saksit Simcharoen, the department's tiger expert, said the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani has already doubled its population from 40 in 2007 to 80.